The Sunday Blog, Week Two

[News Bot]

Some people were downright angry last week when I left Baylor out of the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Top 25.
Baylor was so angry the school decided to hold up SEC expansion.
The Bears are in this week. So calm down. And concentrate instead on sending good thoughts to Minnesota and the Gophers coach Jerry Kill. It’s a lot more important that he recover than the NRFPT Top 25 does.
NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
TOP 25 POLL
1. Alabama: Penn State game was almost a duplicate of last year’s.
2. LSU: Quick turnaround to play Thursday at Mississippi State.
3. Oklahoma: Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner, oh, sorry.
4. Stanford: Two things Duke safety Lee Butler has going for him — he will get a degree from Duke and he pick-sixed Andrew Luck.
5. Boise State: And now we take you to Boise’s next game against, uh, never mind.
6. Oklahoma State: I’d say the Boys are putting up video game numbers but the Sunday Blogs video game never put up these numbers.
7. Florida State: It’s put up or shut up time for the Semis.
8. Wisconsin: The Badgers play defense, too.
9. Nebraska: Huskers drop after uninspiring performance.
10. Oregon: Never play the Ducks after they lose a game.
11. Texas A&M: Be patient, Aggies, be patient.
12. Arkansas: Still two weeks away from a real game for the Backs.
13. South Carolina: Trap game this week for the Gamies — Navy.
14. Michigan State: Sparty has the Irish. Tip: look for turnovers.
15. Virginia Tech: Why do the Hokies always start slowly?
16. Florida: New nickname for Chris Rainey suggested by a reader — “PlayStation.”
17. West Virginia: Dana Holgorson must have given some halftime speech.
18. Arizona State: Let’s see how Devils do away from home.
19. Ohio State: Man, Toledo had a chance at the end, which is all you need to know.
20. South Florida: We’ve seen thre Bulls start fast before.
21. Baylor: OK?
22. Auburn: Reluctantly, the Sunday Blog recognizes the luckiest team in America. Bootleg, Dan Mullen, bootleg.
23. Houston: Have you looked at Houston’s schedule? The Coogs could easily run the table.
24. Michigan: Why not?
25. Tennessee: But please, just because the Vols made the NRFPT Top 25 do not play “Rocky Top.”
THE SEC
FOUR-PACK
1. Let me start right now and let me also say that I usually don’t even think about the Heisman Trophy or my vote until late October. Still, “Melvin Ingram for Heisman.” The South Carolina defensive lineman scored on a 68-yard fake punt, a 5-yard fumble return for the winning points and recovered the Georgia onsides kick. They say he can do a standing backflip and rise his 267 pounds high enough to dunk a basketball. My friends, the SEC has America’s best athletes. Don’t try to argue.
2. Mark Richt will be fine. Unless he isn’t. Georgia’s schedule is fairly easy the rest of the way and it’s not inconceivable that the Doggies could end up in Atlanta. Or that athletic director Greg McGarity could end up in Atlanta picking up a new coaching candidate at the airport. Georgia’s defense is nothing if not balanced giving up 382 rushing yards and 403 passing yards in two games. Coastal Carolina awaits.
3. Gus Malzahn is showing what an offensive genius he is at Auburn taking a team that lost so much talent and scoring 83 points in two games. He’s needed them all, too, because Auburn’s defense has allowed 72 points in those two games. You give up 72 points in two home games and you’re 2-0? Auburn makes no sense. And did I mention BOOTLEG! It always works.
4. I picked Central Michigan to beat Kentucky. Central Michigan could have beaten Kentucky but their coach Dan Enos went all Doug Dickey on me and went for a fourth-and-1 on his own 34 with the lead. I still think Kentucky is not very good, especially when I hear Joker Phillips say, “Well, I mean, I don’t consider it a slow start.” He was talking about the first quarter when CMU outgained the mighty ‘Cats 146-27.

Source: GatorSports.com - Dooley's Desk

 

[DRU2012]

OK, this is it: the SEC schedule. Here comes the TRUTH, like it or not, in all its ugly warts'n'all reality...I can see the pitfalls, and I SHOULD stay away from predictions AND over-optimism, but aww what the hey?!!
Here's my "secret hopeful possible scenario, IF things go our way" (conditional enough??): As long as our young-but-strong defense AND stuffed-with-playmaker offense continues to learn, grow and improve each week, I think we can stay in the game with and possibly BEAT everyone on our schedule, with the possible exception of the Tide, who ALSO has a great defense (one already mature and in full form) and whom we play not only in THEIR house but possibly too early in our season-long development; on the other hand, we may have a better shot at beating FSU because it is so much later in the season AND at our place this time.
So. There it is. I just got WAY ahead of myself, something I am loathe to do under the best of circumstances, and in truth think is absolutely reckless and NUTS at this point in the season. I'll never mention this again--unless and until it turns out to be accurate, and even THEN not until the week of Thanksgiving, at the earliest. I'll probably regret it and look foolish long before that, but something came over me: I just had to do it. Do your snickering behind my back, if you'll be so kind.